What's your family. It's your girl to make a d mallory, and it's your boy, my son and general, and we are your host of street politicians, the place where the streets and politics meet. Listen, my son is freezing cold. I was gone for some time. I came back to New York City and it's literally twenty degrees. The weather is going to kill us. I'm trying to figure out why people would even say that there is no global warming, because we are literally watching like something happened because it's
freezing outside. It's it's more it's mooie freel free all the man. I went outside it was degrees, took my kids school. I'm like, what, it's freezing freezing. It ain't like the fake colds, the real cold outside. This is crazy, it is. It's really crazy. But it's like the way that the weather goes up and down, and then on the days when it's warm, you see people outside that they that got all the way naked. And you're one of those people that when the weather changes you have
your little jacket, no jacket this and that. Y'all people better keep y'all winter coats on before y'all have all kinds of sicknesses. Were tired to win a coach man, I'm tired of winning, big old coat. You're getting a call. You gotta unbutton it, you gotta zip it down. You'll be on fire like it's too much. Man, I'm just weather this heavy over break many degree just ain't this, ain't it? Yeah? I hope it doesn't stay like this for a long time because it definitely makes you sick.
So we're getting ready to go to Africa. Um, this is like a huge, huge, huge, huge moment for until freedom, getting an opportunity to go to the Motherland, to the continent there all things originated from Africa. Yeah, it's gonna be pretty cool. I'm really like it it and I think I have a level of excitement for each country that we're visiting. Of course, I've always wanted to see the Pyramids, and so many people think like, oh, you must have gone to some part of Africa before, and
actually I haven't. The closest that we got was in Palestine right there, you know, trying to go to the West Bank, which is some somewhat I guess connected to Egypt. But never ever have we actually been to Africa directly. And I'm you know, I'm really looking forward to I guess the restoration, the feeling of like connection to our people. Were meeting with so many different UM leaders, activists, filmmakers.
It's gonna be a real, real powerful experience over on on the and and on the soil for which our ancestors from which our ancestors came. That is something powerful that I think everybody should experience in their lifetime. Yeah, I think so too. I've been I'm really looking forward to it, just one of the learn the history and just be you know. I hear that you can actually feel the spirit and essence of the ancestors when you on the motherland. So I'm really looking forward to just
taking their energy. Man, I've been dealing We've been dealing with so much over the last year especially, so you know, I really want to take that time to just reconnect and resent to myself. And we're we're better place than to do it in Africa, So what better place to hope the UM. I've heard too that it's like super hot and that there's mosquito. So you know, me, I'm always getting my form, my awe in my clothes, cover with my skin, but I don't care I'm going to
be outside and with the people. And that's the only thing about trips that I get really, really like bothered by is when you go on the tripping, it's so difficult. People like, oh, it's not safe, it's this, And I don't believe that, Like I want to go directly to where the people live that are that really would benefit and we would benefit from seeing one another, you know what I'm saying, Like, that's where I want to be.
And I understand that you have to be careful about how you approach those communities because you have people there who are like, don't come here with this ship, like without bringing resources and support, And I get it, but it also feels like when you go do all the touristy things, you don't have an opportunity to connect with like real everyday folks, And that for me is just
never good with any trip. And I think we do a good job everywhere we go, no matter what state, no matter what city, we are always trying to find where is the heart of the people and the and the and the land. So you know, that's that's always a tugger war because every single travel UH coordinator they like, you know, you can't go here, you can't walk there, But we gotta try to figure out how to make that happen. You definitely got to figure out how to
make that happen. Man, I'm looking forward to it, you know. I've been just going over to the itinerary and it really looks it looks like it's gonna be something for the books. Man. So in other news, the Oscars is the talk of the town for a lot of different reasons. I hate the fact that like we um, you know, when something when one thing happens, we're unable to like
still focus on other things. Blue Ivy being in the performance with with her mom, uh, Mega Stallion performing, Um, what's the guy's name that one quest love my God love man and one um Will Packer being the producer. Uh, let's see what other beautiful moments. I mean, it's just so many things that happen, um, that you know you feel good about. It's like you want to see these
shows get better. They're not there yet. We know, from the Oscars to the Grammys, all of these shows, they are far far far behind in terms of representing our culture completely and thoroughly. You know, so that we're not about to say, oh, it's the best, but we see that there are some changes that are happening, including having Will Packer and his team produced the entire show. Those things are good and we want to continue to see
more about it. But whenever there is one moment that is the highlight, all those all the other moments, people don't really focus on them, and everybody runs to like the drama. They you know, we we what what was the highlight? I didn't, I didn't know. I'm just saying people are feed off of drama. I mean, obviously, the highlight of the Oscars was Will Smith slapping um Chris Rock. That's what happened. You seriously smacked Chris Rock. That is
what people are gonna talk about. But there were other incredible things that happened, Yes there were, and you know, like unfortunately, I said all the time, unfortunately, the algorithm is set up to always amplify and promote the negativity. And you know, and and that's just the world we live in. People are driven to the drone, you know, They're driven to the conflict, you know, and and and
that's where we are. I just think for me, you know, shout out to everybody who at those awards, everybody who won awards, A lot happened. You know, there's a lot to unpack, and there are a lot of people and have opinions. They're gonna be opinions that this one's wrong, this one's right, this and that. But I just say all the time, you cannot predict how anyone will respond to your disrespect. You can want to, we can always say, well,
I don't think you should have reacted that way. I don't think you should have this, or this wasn't the place. And you might be totally right, or you might everybody has an opinion. But when you are the person who is being disrespected, m hm, and you have to intake the disrespect and you have to listen, you have to internalize it, and you have to look at your kids and look at your wife and look at your family, and you have to be this man. You have to
constantly deal with those things. You get to choose how you respond to that disrespect. And I think that is a classic example of what happened Snipe, you know, and you know, I believe that when you look at we have to ask ourselves about Will Smith, someone who's shown such class throughout his career, throughout his life, he's dealt He's laughed at things the average person would have been
blew up at. He's showed so much courage and so much transparency about his own personal lives, and he's dealt with what comes with that, you know, And I think at some point you have to ask, when is enough right? We have to look at okay, we we ask celebrities, we ask people who are in the media, who are public figures, to just take things as if there's iron man, as if they're not perfect. And the people who are judging will or feel like he did this and that wrong.
They've done way more. They wouldn't have dealt withold half the ship that he's He's there one third of the ship that he's have to deal with throughout his career, throughout his life, you know. So to be able to make that judgment is good to have that, you know, luxury to sit in your living room and I have to deal with the ills that man has to deal
with every day and be able to judge it. But once again, you know, people have their own boiling point, their own breaking point, their own line that you can't cross, and you have to make sure that you are intentional about not being intentional about disrespecting you know. Niecy Nash said last night that her feelings are still buffering. Right. She was doing Alive with her wife Um and she said, my feelings are still buffering, And I kind of feel that way, like I am. I have so many different
emotions about the not so much even the moment. It's more so than response to the moment. Right. Like, one thing I'm really really um clear on is that we do not have to live by a standard of what white people say is right. That is something that I'm absolutely resolved with. That And the idea that because white people might feel or they may see and think certain things, that it means that we have to behave or act a certain type of way, that for me, I throw
that out completely. I think that, Um, fights happen, people have fights, ship happens. Puff said it last night. Things happen, like things happen, And we're not in a perfect bubble, none of us are. I'm not perfect, You're not perfect.
The world isn't perfect, and things happen. And really I do see where people are constantly sort of like pricking at Will, just constantly pricking at him because he has been so much of the model person that he tries to be positive, stay about love, stay out the way. You know, he knows that he's a larger than life figure and I think he got an opportunity he is
and especially now he is beginning. He is now sitting in the front seat of watching how disrespectful people can be two black women right this week, the Crown Act has passed, and this is or last week the Crown at past and this is legislation that specifically deals with people leaving us alone about our hair. Let you work, go to school, do what you want about your hair.
And having someone to even make a joke about something so sensitive, I can see how it completely completely set him off, and along with other things not just from Chris Rock, but in general from folks and just in society thinking that it's okay to just keep pricking at him. And I think he just finally was like, this is one of those moments when I'm not gonna do the
politically correct thing. And whether you agree with it or not, it was his choice and he did it and he will have to accept whatever come, whatever goes along with that. But I still also would say that, um, yeah, like, I'm just I'm just I'm not even willing to feed into the perception that because somebody had a fight it's the end of the world, or because somebody hits somebody it's the end of the world. I'm just not willing to feed into that, you know. And I think it's
it's like you said, it's a lot to really unpack it. Really, it really is. Because the emotional part of seeing Denzel and Tyler Perry walk over to their brother, who they know would not generally just do something like that unless it has reached a boiling point of just no more.
You know, that's just not something that you would ever see Will Smith do, right, And to see them walk over and be with him and talk to him after they know that his wife was disrespected and her feelings were hurt, that, to me, it was just a moment that like we got to talk about that more center, like what were they saying to each other and what did they all feel as black men in that moment.
Knowing that, and you think Will doesn't know he's gonna be criticized, it's gonna be, this is gonna be that this is a man who can think quick right, he can think faster than the Yeah, he can think, he can think really fast, faster than the average person, because this man lives in the public eye and every single day he's making decisions. And he made a decision that last night that was that was literally it for him.
It was literally it. And I think people, you know, I think people keep classifying as emotional and a break now,
and I think for me, I don't. I don't really agree with that, right, I think I think as men, there's a process that goes on in your mind, right, especially when you're thinking of when you when you, when you think of when you somebody like Will Smith, who's navigated throughout this industry, who you've watched constantly outthink people who utilize strategies to capitalize or negative ship that people try to do with him all the time. He's taking
the high road. I think at this point, right there was a situation, you know, because I remember the ten Oscar Awards, right when Jada was very adamant and vocal about boycott and because the lack of representation for black people, she was mad that Will was a nominated for concussion. She said, he pretty much did everything most people agree. No, And I remember watching Chris Rock be the host of it, and I remember him making jokes that didn't make me
feel good as a black person in that moment. I remember him making jokes about Jada about Will diminishing what they felt at that moment, and it was something that was most people in Hollywood understood that there was no black representation, and Chris Rock utilized his voice to not highlight that reality, but to diminish the fact that these people and this man's wife had called for this boy by basically saying that she didn't have the right to
call for boycott that because she wasn't nominated, that why would we even listen to you? You weren't invited here. And that's a man's wife, that's the mother of his children. You know that they sat home and watched to see, Okay, this blood, this is a black man, he's a brother, somebody that we respect, and he's he's gonna do this regardless. So we're gonna be We're gonna sit back and see how he utilizes this moment that we've garnered the energy
for because we've called out the oscars. We want to see how he utilizes this moment to hold the oscars accountable right and in hot and in in disregard for that, he chose to utilize that to diminish the two people who were trying to fight. And I felt that was disrespectful. I felt it was wrong. I said it. Then I didn't understand why he utilized his voice in that manner, and a lot of people and when he talked about Jada and that man that I said all the time,
people said, oh, well, he wouldn't. Will would have did this, if this and that, if if this was a white person or this comedian, And I say to myself, Chris Rox, would Chris Rock would have made those jokes about Judie Foster. He would to set Meryl Street can't call for a boycott. He would have talked about white women that they see at some level of value in Hollywood and say, who are they to call for boycott? And if he would have, the white people in the room wouldn't have laughed at
They wouldn't have thought it was amusing. They wouldn't they wouldn't got hysterically laughed about the way that he talked about that man's wife. And and I say that to say that, and so when I look at this situation, there's a build up, there's a man having to sit in his house. And every time I watched Jada was doing walking through TMC was say, hey, how do you feel about what Chris Rock had to say about you? And I have to keep how do you feel about
what Chris Rock said? Whoa, this is the biggest stage in the world on that night, he utilized that time to diminish that woman, and she had to constantly deal with and that man had to constantly look at his wife's face feeling humiliated listening to you know, her being disrespected on these social media, watching their kids angry at the same situation. And he ate that, he ate that he didn't do nothing. He ate that they dealt with it.
They moved on. Now we at Oscar's Awards, and you choose again, as you sit up there as the host to utilize your voice in your platform to talk something about my wife. At what point, as a man, is it okay for you to say this ain't okay? Maybe you saying that you wouldn't have smacked him man, maybe, but what the way that and I tell people all the time, the way that people respond to your disrespect. It's not your choice, right if somebody body have been like, oh,
you should have pulled him to the side. No, the disrespect happened publicly. I'm a firm believer that when disrespect happens publicly, the consequences or the apologies needs to be public as well. People want to disrespect you publicly and quietly in the back to you. You know, it's just a joke. We're cool and that. No, but the world just so when you talk to me crazy and tomorrow I'm gonna have to hear how once again me Will is the sucker. He's a pomp, this and that. People
saying this. It's with so much of that any man can deal. And I think at that point he was resolved and with whatever was gonna come with that. Even when you look at his apology, apologize to everybody else with that man, because that man disrespected him, that man purposely disrespect I think it's that's why I said, if it's buffering from me right like, I love that Nash used that because I personally have been in fights like
and I'm not talking about twenty years ago. I'm talking about ship that has happened to me recently that I have in the hotel we just was talking about that on the show about what was a last year when we talked about the white man that put his hand in my face and and his wife and I getting into a physical altercation. That should happens like they were arrested because everybody in the hotel saw what took place.
But people do get into fights. So when I when I to your point being making sure that you're not coming from a place of a high road road judgment where you look at somebody else's situation and all of a sudden, because it's Will Smith, you don't see the human side of this man, right that I try not to do. So that's one one thing. Then you know I'm I'm probably biased anyway because Jada. I love Jada
will all my heart. That is my sister, and to see her be disrespected like that in that moment, I probably would have wanted to fight for her as well. And I cannot sit here and tell you I would never sit here and say that I don't appreciate the fact that Will Smith said fuck it, whatever has to go along with it. You're not gonna just keep playing with Jada, period. So that's a full stop for me
on this side of the conversation. I still when you said just now that people keep talking about it being emotional and um, a breakdown, I don't know if I'm gonna say it's a breakdown. I don't think that it
was a breakdown at all. But it's definitely an emotional response, absolutely, because when first of all, when you hit someone, that is called lashing out, So that means that your emotions are involved with the decision that you're making at that point, because feeling disrespected all of that causes emotions to come to the forefront. But I think about just two weeks ago, when Gayle King asked him about infidelity in his marriage age.
I literally saw Will's face get very very stern as he responded to her in a way to let her know y'all at I they have said over and over again. I'm listening to teslaent Um straight Shot No Chase, our home girl who is also in a black effect. She was on live last night and I was listening to her, and she said something that is so true. These people have already told y'all over and over and over again about how they conduct their relationship, they marriage. They don't
said it. I mean, I can't imagine what you call infidelities. Infidelities. They have said it over and over and over again. So when people start still, you know, saying or trying to shame him or her because of it, I know that you could tell from the way he responded to Gail King. It's like to say, for the ninetieth time or the nine thousand times, it's not infidelity because every everything that has gone on in our marriage, we have had a conversation about it and made decisions about what's
best for us at that time. So I think that it is definitely a reaction that is not just about Chris, but it is a long it's it's it's there are too many chris Is that exists in his life. But I don't think you want to tell you what I why I don't agree with that because had they been talking about entanglement, I would say that, right, had he want to then say, oh, well, you know, maybe his entanglement number. But see, but that's not even But that's
not the point I'm making. I'm talking about what creates a bawling point, right, not just entanglement. It's not just that, like you said, it's the hair. It's also people who have attacked Willow over time, like will has sat by quietly while people have picked at his his entire family. That's something that he has dealt with, and he's handled it very professionally. Like this is why it's probably so
much of a shock. Like so, for instance, if Puff had jumped up there and slapped somebody, people probably would be like, I could see that, right, I could see that because hip hop and the history and fights that have happened and all of that, they might have been able to see that, which, you know, let's not I'm not saying that he would. I'm just saying they probably would have been able to reconcile that more because unfortunately we are we as humans associate hip hop culture with violence.
Right yeah, But but he's exactly my point, This is the point that I'm making. But because he has been able to hold himself with such respectability, and he the pinnacle, the icon, you know, you don't really have many stains on will Smith about things in the past and whatever. You don't have that right when you see that and
you hold him in that place. And I say this all the time, people should not be held on those types of pedestals because in their moments of frustration of to your point, getting to the end of their rope with somebody of being human, they may respond And so I think that is why you see such a respond You saw him respond that way because it's like, full stop,
y'all are not gonna just keep this going. And now you're sitting here, it's like you think that I'm, I'm you could just pick on my wife right here at this moment, and that's just not gonna happen. So anyway, you know, it's you. You can go around and around in so many different directions. But I know Will and Jada, well we both know them, and I know old that Will Smith is a great man. He's a talented man, but he also is a fierce protector of his family.
And Jada has endured a lot of bullshit and for her to sit there at that show and have Chris Rock pick on her hair, it was a moment where I think, to your point, Will made a decision that when lose a draw, not tonight, so let's go to our guests, because, um, you know the guests that we have coming up today. She has had many experiences, um over time where people have disrespected, falling out falling in back and forth, and her family has figured out a way to stay above the fray. So this month of
women's history has been incredible. On Street Politicians, I'm really proud of what we've been doing, mice um profiling all of these incredible women, getting so many gems. It's just been a month of gems, and I think that's what women bring to the table. Celebrating women is not a bad thing. I'm not sure where in the world they became this. If you celebrate women, then that means you're putting down men. I don't know where it came from that we can't celebrate our brothers as well. I'm excited
to do that next uh. And you know, it just feels good. This has been a high moment for me in this show, being able to really celebrate the lives of so many incredible women that are making real, real, real substantial change and just big moods everybody, from Mona Scott to um Milan. It's just been incredible and today is really really, really really special. It's special because we have someone who uh the gems that she possesses. We've
seen how that turned out in the world. Two incredible daughters who are out in the world doing great work and being black and proud. We know that it comes
from having such a strong mother, mother and father. But today women sis three months were celebrating mom Um and I'm really excited to bring her on because the gyms that she shares with the world, she does not hide from those of us who are excuse me, the gyms that she shares with her daughters, she doesn't hide from the rest of us as young women who have to reach out sometimes and say, hey, how should I navigate this? What should I do? Um? And so today is a
very special day for us. We have Tina knows laws in Tina knows laws and uh an entrepreneur, businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropists, executive producer, and the mother of Beyonce. And so she got a lot going on stuff. Yes she has, and look and don't forget a grandma, okay, and then mother to so many others from Kelly to Tamika Mallory. We all count on Miss Tina to put us in our place and also drop those gyms that make us stronger.
So welcome the street politicians. Tina, Tina knows loss in. Oh, that was such a great introduction. I'm touched it was true because it's true, man, It's it's a it's a pleasure to have you on our show. Um, you know, I follow you on Instagram and I see a lot
of jews you dropped. I see you having fun, you know, and and just living in your truth and being such so groom but still having this vibrance, you know, And I just appreciate that a lot of times as we get I always want to say to myself when I get older, I don't want to be the guy that just seems old and in stuffy, you know. So when I look at you, you still have their youthfulness about you.
That's just amazing. And you're beautiful, yes, yes, beautiful. So let's just jump right into it because we know your time is valuable. You are. It's funny because you're not just like doing business. You're also babysitting grandchildren, helping with family stuff, so you've got a lot going on. But
we want to know. I don't think people talk enough about you in the beginning, right They see you as Beyonce and Solange's mother, and that's great, but you are really Tina knows lossing on your own, which is an an incredible accomplishment all that you've been able to do. What what was the start like for you? Um? The starting? You know, I grow up really poor in Galveston, Texas,
which is like a little tiny town. It's actually an island right off from Houston, and um with great parents that were very loving, but just didn't have a lot of um aspirations, like for them to to finish high school, to get married, have a family, and get a good job, which would be like maybe the post office or you know, those type of jobs. I'm sure many people can relate
to that. They just didn't dream big, and they didn't dream They wanted the best for their children, but I think it was their way of protecting me from disappointment from paying and so they didn't have really big aspirations. And so when I was fourteen, I met someone, my brother's girlfriend, who came into my life and she was I mean, I was just blown away by her style and her her grace and and how she wanted more in the world. She was actually a painter, and she
started exposing me. She took me to see Alvin Ailey and my god in the big city of Houston, and I saw all those beautiful black folks with nice cars and doing things, and I was like, I gotta get out of here. So it made me want to get out of that little town and I did. And I've had a very interesting life before. Uh you know Destiny's Child. A lot of people say to me, um, God, you know that changed your life. And I was doing the
same thing I'm doing now and um. So it's it's kind of irritating sometimes that people think my life started or I lived my whole life through my children. So thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it. So you you yeah, because you started a salon business that you had, that's the first. It's the first business. But I was a makeup artist. Um, I came to l A. And I was a makeup artist. I modeled, I traveled.
I didn't really have the money to travel. So whoever lived in the place, if you live, you know, my my sister in law lived in Atlanta, I go stay with her and and experienced the city. I came to l A. I stayed with my niece. I got a job as a a make a part this. I did many things before I opened the hair Salona opened the hair salon at thirty three, after I had so launch
and so it was a very successful business. And you know, it's funny because God just gave me all these tools of you know, from modeling to doing hair and doing makeup and doing all the things I did. I was actually able to use those as tools for when Destiny's Child started, because I was trying to earn my key to protect them because they were so young. They were like fifteen this Beyonce was fifteen, the other girls was sixteen, and I was like, oh lord, I don't want to
throw them to the wolves. So I earned my key by doing their hair and you know, packing their clothes and doing whatever I could to protect them. M m yeah. And I've been in this industry, so how how was that just when you first, you know, brought them into the industry, did you awake into so many different things? Did you see you know, the ills the spills? Like
did it? How? How did how was that? Well? I was scary because you know, when the girls were like maybe ten and eleven, they met s w V and you know, they were at the top of their career. And I remember really telling me, miss Tina, I have seen some things that I shouldn't have seen as a fifteen year old, and so I just got on high alert. And so you know, my thing was to protect them and not to have people, you know, doing all these crazy things. And plus the girls look very mature, so
you know how that business is. I was like, oh, not on my watch. So you know, I became very involved just to protect them at first, and and as I got into it, I saw many many things that I needed to protect them from, you know. And I do think that when people get into the business very early, that it's important that a parent, nobody's gonna protect you, like a parent or an aunt or somebody that's related to you that really loves you for you and not
for the fan fair. That it's not gonna get caught up in the fan fair, you know how So, so do you feel like if you're a parent or a sister or brother or whatever, that you kind of take a backseat your own career when you're trying to push your children forward, or do you feel like you could do both at the same time. I don't know, it
seems hard. It's very hard, you know. From it depends because you know, my my ex husband was um, he was a very successful businessman before he took on uh Destiny's Child, and he was you know, he reveled in it. He loved it, he was great at it. He protected the girls, he got opportunities for them with his corporate background, and and for him that was good. But for me, it was all about, like, I'm gonna protect my kids. I want them to to have their dreams, and I'm
gonna disappear and be invisible. And the thing I always said is I met many mothers that were kind of like caught up up and I was like, oh, I don't ever want to be that. I'm never gonna embarrass say things or do things to embarrass my kids. So as a result, I kind of became invisible. Like people would ask me to interviews and I say no. And it's not because I was shy. It was just because I didn't want to get you know, it was all
about them. And so when I got this divorce, you know I had I knew I had to get a divorce. I was like, you know what, I have given enough and now it's my time. You know. So my kids didn't they I was a whole new woman. It was like all of a sudden. It was like, you know, it's about life right now, is about me and if you need me, I'm always there. But I'm gonna not had so much. And it's been great for me because you know, people thought that I was shy. You know.
My my husband now says all the time, because I've been knowing him for four the years, He's like, you know, you were so quiet and shy. And I was like, no, I wasn't shy. I just you know, kind of became invisible. M well, you're not invisible no more, you know that. So I've been I see that you have a docuseries black What what what made you want to to get
into that? Like what was the inspiration behind it? Well, you know, I grew up with all these black men in my life and I saw, you know, I mean, how many times have I gone, you know, being with my brother or my nephews, because my nephews are older than me or my age, and we've gotten into an elevator and a lady steps over and holds a purse tighter, or they locked the doors as you passed by, and
you know, um, black men are just so misunderstood. And I've had that to happen to my brothers and my daddy and you know, so it's always been something that has really bothered me, how our black men a stereotype and um. And this young man, Trail Thomas, who I mentor um. He he came over here so upset one day because you know, a white guy had lived in his building, in his high rise, through trash and front
of his apartment, like he was just harassing him. And and he was saying, you know, I'm I'm like five six, but I'm still a threat. And you know, women are still locking their doors. And he was just very frustrated because they had had two really negative you know, Michael Jackson and the R. Kelly documentaries, and he's like, I need to clean my palette. I need to see some positive on TV. And he said I can't find anything. And I said, well, if you don't see it, in
the words of Richard Lawson, create it. And if you create it, I will help you get it out there. So he came back with this concept and we flushed it out and we worked with a production company and so uh profiled a black man. You know it. It came about that way, and I'm really proud of it
because we give examples. You know, in in one of the shows with The Dangerous, we have a black man and a white man are the exact same height, weight, build, and people's perception black and white is that the black man is the most powerful and more muscular and more you know, it's that that perception that they have. So I'm hoping that we can change some of those perceptions with this show not only bigger, longer, but dangerous. Right then they quit the black man's strength with danger and
the danger and they don't have that scene. Like you said, they can look at the white man with the same exact building, everything, and they don't feel they don't have any fears. So look what they say every time they shoot one of us is like I was afraid. Even if if if we gotta we have handcuffs behind our back, you know, we're still dangerous. So that's the thing, the fear. Were you producing the were this or was this like your first time saying I'm gonna do I'm really gonna
be disinvolved with the production. Well, yes, this was my first time. Wow, that's in the first time. So when I'm enamored about is that you as much stardom as your family has. It does not stop you from making sure people know you support black men um and that you are a strong advocate for justice and the rights of black people. For this, for this particular show, what is it that you want to see? What do you want to accomplish? Is it about changing culture or was
it really just like a gift to black men. It's both, but I'm just hoping that. You know, the great thing about it is that it's on Discovery Plus. And so when we were talking to networks about it, and we talked to the black networks, I kept saying, guys, we know we're are not dangerous. We know our men are not dangerous. We we know that our men love their women, we know all these positive things. Who need to know is like the lady on the plane who said my my son in law was a gangster rapper when he
was a CEO of Death Jam. You know, It's like that's the people that need to know. So I'm very excited that it's on that network and that hopefully it will change. If it changes the perception of one person, then it's worth it. And it's good for to remind us because sometimes we are are worst enemy in terms
of we do the same thing. And you know, I talked to people all the time that that say, you know, I have a network of black people that you know, my plumber, my um, you know, my my, the person who paints my house, and and you know, and and we will say, oh, I don't deal with I don't fool with black companies because they do so crazy. Because if a white company comes out and they do a bad job, you say, oh that I'm not using that
company anymore. You don't write us all off. And you know, it's it's interesting because sometimes we perpetuate those same stories within our own community, and we gotta stop that. So if that will, it help us to see and really, you know, just think about the fact that we are we do, we do love our women, you know, we are our men are not dangerous in our community. It
helps as well. It's true. Okay, So I was stuck because I never heard about the white woman who told you that you're sendine law was a gangster round Yeah, well she didn't. She I was on a plane coming from Houston and she came on and she she was like, you know, she seemed like a really nice lady. And then she said well, you know, I just have a question. You know, your your son is a gangster rapper and
actually he said that he was fifty cent. She thought he was fifty cent because she just kind of lumped them off everybody in one heart, and and I said, no, actually my son in law is a CEO. But before that, she said, how you know, why did you let him marry your daughter? Like it was crazy that this lady
felt comfortable enough to say this to me. And it didn't come from like, uh, it came from ignorance, like she wasn't yeah exactly, because she really seemed to be a not I mean I was smiling and having a conversation with her, and then she just got comfortable and asked me that, and it just, you know, it made me really sad because how does she you know, maybe she doesn't keep up with the news, but like that was her perception that if you're a rapper, you're you know,
you're a gangster rapper and and you know, thug and all the things that came with that. Yeah, but I mean even a rapper, like what does that mean? You know? What I'm saying is that it's the perception that they have, which as you said that will make them shoot you, like hurt you. And it's very, very dangerous for us. And that's why we have to have voices that really speak out. And you know, and I think what you're doing with the black Man is one of those things.
So your social media, Mama, Tinea, social media, it's hilarious. We laugh so hard about how sometimes you just come out and say whatever it is that's on your mind. Do you feel like we're living in a real toxic social media time and like sometimes you find yourself frustrated online with what you see. Yeah, sometimes I do um and some of the comments that people have and how negative they can be and how ugly they can be. It it hurts my heart. But by the same token,
it's such a great tool. It's a double a sword sometimes because you know, we can get the message out. Like I would not know the work that you're doing if I couldn't get on social media. But you know, there have been so many times that you guys have you know, when you went down to to Kentucky and you know, that allowed me to see what you were doing,
support and pray. You know, I'm a praying mama, and so you know, and I've sent you messages that you've covered in prayer, and I couldn't do that if I didn't have social media, because it is such an amazing tool. So we have to take the good with the bad. And you know, the greatest thing is that block and delete button. You know do that in life? You know you you actually can. I guess that's crazy though. It's
like block your black gratification. Oh god, people so much like every day because you know, and and when I first got on social media, my kids were so afraid. You know, they were just really mad at me, and they were saying, Mama, you know, you're opening yourself up.
And they've always been so protective of me. Like part of the reason why they haven't wanted me to be in the limelight is not because they didn't want me to be in line, like they were, like, people are so hateful, and it's one thing for them to come after me, but you know they come after you. I'm gonna have to go after them and then put me
in a bad position. And you know the thing is that, um that once I found out you could block and delete, the first probably year that I was on social media, I blocked and deleted every day, you know, anything that was negative and after a while people know that, yeah, I might do this, but I'm gonna get blocked and deleted. So I'm just gonna, you know, watch what I say because my site is about positivity. It's about lifting people up.
It's not about dogging people out, you know, and it's just spread information that needs to be put out there. And you know, it's funny because I am really trying, Like the last few weeks, it's been so many things that have bothered me, and I'm like, Tina, don't go there because right now it's not a good time for people to start attacking because you know, they start attacking you, and especially when you just tell the truth. But some things are really bothering me right now, and I'm just
trying to um pick and choose my battle. So every time I'm not that person that's you know, fighting fighting, because I've been fighting. I've been having to fight on there. Yeah, I mean around voting rights. You know. I saw you really really really like this is not okay, you know, and um and I think also you're fair in that you're not just like, well one side is wrong, Like I see you talk about the fact that like everybody can do better in these situations, and I think that's good.
And I wonder like when you when people attack you, is it is it? Let me put it this way, you feel like you get more people who are black folks saying we shouldn't be talking about these issues, just stick with entertainment, or is it the white supremacists that
come after you? You know, because sometimes and I think what happens a lot in social media is that I think the that that sometimes you know, they will have a picture of a black person, but you'll go on I go on to see their site, which I should do, and they'll have like five followers, So you know that they just set up an account to come on there and harass and to say all these horrible things. You know, that's so racist, And um, I get that a lot
of that. And I also get, you know, like you said, some of our people saying why don't you just shut up and be a celebrity and your voice doesn't counting? You know, that kind of thing. So that just fuels me to to you know, it just it gets me fired up because who are you to tell me that I shouldn't have a voice. I'm trying to be positive. I'm trying to help, you know, in any way I can. It's not like I'm dogging people, that's right. And speaking
of your voice, you know you have your talk show. Yeah, and how was that going? Do you do you talk about like serious things? And your talk show do you talk about like what? What do you really focus on? We talked about very serious things. You don't talk show. I haven't been on, but but you started. Yeah, your show. Yeah, that's right, you did. Yeah, it was about voting, and
then I just found that I liked it. I love you know, I'm very inquisitive, and I love the three things that I love the most is I love inviting people over to my house and talking to them and picking their brain about things and just finding out that story. I've always been inquisitive since I was a kid, and my kids are always like, Mama, you you know you are interviewing people, like, don't be asking them all those questions.
But it's just my nature to do so. So when I did that, the first thing I really enjoyed just talking to people and hearing their views on things. But I cooked and my my show, I cooked for them. I cooked gumbo for everybody and they come over and they feel so comfortable because they're in my living room and we just have a conversation. So they're just talks with Mama Tina, and people open up and you know, about things. But I don't broach any subjects that they
don't want to broach. I'm like, if it's anything off limit, you know, anything you want me to erase. And so people feel comfortable, and I just love talking to them, and I love bringing their mama's in because I feel like, if you see, you know, most of the time there's a mom somewhere you know that is supporting a dad too. But you know, I'm a woman, so I kind of focus on women. Yeah, a mom that is invisible red
a mom do'sn't visible. That's a powerful statement that when your child is out there doing whatever we do, try to disappear right, you know, and try to get into the shadows if you will. But sometimes you have to actually be in front of them helping to sort of guide and lead them through. And you learn things as a parent out in the world that needs to be shared with other people. People were trying to bring their young people up. Do you you raising to celebrity mega
celebrity young people. How what was the tension of that, Like would you being a mom telling them do go left and they want to go right? Like what are the gems that you have for parents? How much is too much parenting? Well? I think because my parents were so super strict on me. I was never strict on my kids. But you know, Kelly came to live with us when she was ten, so I have to include
her in in my my girls. And you know, she and Beyonce were so so focused on their careers from like nine and ten that they I had to literally make them go to parties. Like I can remember saying no, you're going and them saying we don't want to go because they were kind of shy and really you know, closed off from the other kids. And I'm like, no, you're going to this party. And I would drop them off and watch them and say you better go on
this party. And of course they would stay a little while and call me and um, they just weren't really into party much. But Solange came along and that was my two big change. Like she was like she liked the party, she liked to you know, hang with her friends, and um, and so it was a it was a different thing. But I think so I never had to
really be overbearing with them. I was just really free with them, and I talked to them all the time, and I made them feel like they could tell me anything and that I wasn't gonna judge them or judge their friends. I was always that mom that had a house full of their friends over. And so I think just to you know, you, you you set the boundary that I'm not your little friends, but we are. We can talk and you can talk to me, and you
don't have to be scared. And I wasn't all strict and all in their business and um and as far as them, you know, having a career, we did everything we could to help them reach the goals that they wanted to reach. My I mean, you know, financially, um spiritually, you know, keeping them grounded and going to church, because that made all the difference in the world for them to have that balance and it not be all about making it in success and you know that kind of thing.
But they were pretty easy. That's when I guess I'm trying to say we're not I'm not your little friends, but I'm not your little friend. That's that's what That's what Obama said. Look, I'm not your little friend. We ain't gonna play like you. So what what would be advice? Like you? You have, you know, you've seen so many things. You've you've nurtured stars, superstars, you've yourself in your own right or superstar, You've created businesses, You've done so many things.
And you and you admitted that you come from absolutely nothing. What would be your advice for a young single black woman coming up in this world, coming from nothing? How what would you tell it would be the first step
to being successful. I think it's really trying to find if you don't have within your world someone that you can look up to, that you can aspire to be, like, um, find you somebody, you know, just find somebody in your neighborhood, Find a teacher, find somebody to be your mentor that will you know and tell them I need help, like
I need exposure to two things. You know, our charity is very much about those hundred kids we have right out, a hundred kids from South Central that don't get to see the world and there you know, they don't they can't see a lot out of their zip code. When they first come in, I interview every one of them and I say to them, if you can live anywhere you want to live, you know, if you if money
was an object, where would you live. And a lot of them say down the street from my mom or because they have not seen anything outside of their zip code and and their families are busy trying to make a living and survive, and so they don't they you know, they haven't been to the beach, they haven't stayed in the hotel. So we do all those things for them to expose them. And and you know, I had a phone call the other day and I'm I get really
emotional about it. But one of the little girls that started with us, um my first class, who was so shy that she would not even talk. I mean, you know, you had to pull things out of her, and was very smart, but just you know, nobody was telling us she was smart. And she just called me the other day anyway, she's had a lot of obstacles and said, I got into U c l A. And I'm going to college. And you know I have you and Mr Lawson to thank for that, because we planted that seed
in her. If you don't have anybody that can plant that seed in you and help you to see something bigger than your zip code. Find you. You gotta as a kid, and it's hard find that one person that can help you. Because that's what happened. That that girl changed my life. My my my She became my sister in law, but she changed my complete trajectory of my life.
I would have stayed in that little town and been happy to have a family and that I'm not saying to say anything wrong with that, but look what I created in my life because she was saying, girl, you don't have to stay here. You got talent. You know, you're design and stuff. You're doing hair, you're doing makeup, you could do something in fashion. In some people's lives, nobody has ever told them that. Can you imagine right
right right, finding somebody that can plant those seeds. And you are so very, very important because there's so much negativity in the world that you have to have people pour into you something that's sort of like shift your mindset and you use the word that is I think the key exposure, you know, and I often wonder how does a young person get that exposure when they live in a community and have never even traveled, maybe to the other borough. People in Brooklyn who have never been
to Manhattan, So where do they go? Maybe the internet opens it up for that type of exposure. But and I'm not asking this as a question, it's just a thought. It's like, what do we do to provide a space because your mentorship program, the work that we do, it's not enough to cover all of the young people in our society, you know. And and I asked people every time I go to speak to a group or I talk,
I asked people to take one kid. If this one kid at your church or at your community, or at your job that you know, somebody has a kid and they're working all time, and you can take that kid to the movie. You can take them to get their nails done, give them experiences that they have never had before, pay for their prom dress, you know, do something for one kid. If everybody in the world did that, it
would change things. And so you know, I'm just all about mentoring because it saved my life, it really did. I wish I was one of your grandkids to get away a ship and this Mama love that you given because the way that you give it to the world, I know they get it too. For how is how fun is it being the grandmother? I know, you got
to be like the coolest grandmother in the world. Well, we had so much fun last night because they had an oscar party and they had a red carpet and the whole thing, and they had a little party where their friends dressed up and and you know, I got to see most of my grandkids except for my my older grandson. So it was it was really amazing. Your oldest grandson is like grown now, isn't wow? So if he's grandma's baby or he's like yes, And I mean we are really have always been super close, and so
you know, we talk all the time. He lives in another state and he's coming to spend a week with me, so I can't wait till he gets here. Last last question for me is how important? Well how do you make family time with all this stuff y'all have going on?
I mean, I know you guys take really really tight vacations and a lot of vacations, right, you do that, But you know, as a married woman, um and being busy Mrs Lawson doing movies and he's out in the world and you have your children all over the place. What does scheduling look like? Well, you know, I'm really busy, but but nothing comes like. I gotta have my family time.
And all of us are like that, so we make sure that we have that time together and uh that we see each other very often because you know, you just never know. And I'm trying to now just really make the space to spend as much time with my kids and my grandchildren as I can because I'm I'm sixty eight years old, so you know, I want to be able to run and and play with them and and be active with them. Wow. And I just want to say thank you for coming to peer dropping these gyms.
Thank you for continue to glow and and be the light that you are. You know, like people don't understand you a lot more than the Solanges and Beyonce's mother. You are missed, Tina, those loss and you are great in your own rank. And every time I hear when she said my mom was the boys I got this from Tina, I'd be like you damn right right. Thank y'all are so sweet. I really enjoyed this. Thank you
for having me and thanks for supporting us. Man. You've always been very vocal about supporting us, and we want to say thank you for y'all. Listen, I have to say that I'm so impressed with you young folks because y'all could be somewhere having a good time and partying. And I know this is not easy. I know it's not easy, and I just thank God for you guys, because y'all just keep on fight then fighting for us,
and and I so appreciate that. Yeah, well, we know we have you there supporting us and always cheering us along. And I always tell you those text messages mean so much because people are mean. To your point, people are mean, and I think that folks have a feeling because you're Beyonce, because you're whoever, my son, Tomka, whoever, that we're not humans, and that it hurt to be constantly bombarded with negativity.
So when you have people, especially someone of your caliber and your stature in life, to take the time to text a bunch of young women and say, hey, you know, hold your head so I see you supporting Chloe, you know, so just just making sure those young girls, her and her sister they're protected as well. It matters to us. And we just want to thank you and tell you that we love you and we support you. Uh the
black man. That's big. People need to to really seriously, we have to support black folks that make films and doc youseries and are in the production world. We should not allow time to go by. And we said, oh, I didn't watch it, I didn't get to it. No focus, Make sure folks, no fund our stuff, right give make sure you fund our own our stuff. So we love you, all right, I love y'all to have a great day, look forward to all right by by. Miss Tina is a jew the little bit, you know. She she if
you go with her, she'll take you like. She'll say whatever she needs to say. She's not censored and nobody's definitely there's no pr people gonna tell her she can't say this, and she can grow. That's a grown woman. That's a grown adult woman. And she said, I ain't your little friends, you know that was definitely a mama statement. Ready to live. Ain't your little friends? Yeah no, but
she's um, she's dope, she you know. And and and we always say we could have talked to her for a long time to really get into her, even her her concerns about this country, because I see that she is. You know, she's really concerned. I've received messages from her at times when she's like, yo, like this is really serious and and I'm not sure that people understand the climate that we're in and how much worse things can get. And sometimes our celebrities are not that aware, you know.
So you know what type of children she has based upon the type of mother that she is and the type of woman that she is. Yeah, she's definitely a dope person. Man. So I'm glad. I'm glad that you know people. You know what I'm saying, I'm glad that you'd be doing good people as well. I mean, he does, but I'm saying, but I met her crew you because she does. I'm not saying she doesn't. But you know these women, they always they say, oh Tamika and the next thing you know that, but oh they got they
got this guy. He kind of dope too. You know what I'm saying. I appreciate it, you definitely. I mean when we were living in Kentucky, Um, she along with a bunch of women. I mean I'm just sitting here thinking, you know, all the women Gammy, Jada and and and and um. You know what Jada's mother. Uh, you know, she was super supportive, people sending packages. You know, people have really been there to try to hold us down
as we do this movement work. And as I said to her, it's really important because you know, you you're you're getting hit from one side to the next. You know, it's like you're in a constant rumble, and you have people that can stop and sort of center you so that you, oh, hey, you have support out here. You got that that a fight with you, you know, and
stand next to you. So that's cool. But I love hearing how to talk about her businesses that she started even before because other than okay, you do hear about the fact that she had a beauty salon, because we know that Beyonce grew up in the beauty salon, singing in the beauty salon and and being in there all day. But she's done a bunch of stuff. She actually, in her own right, was going to always be successful. Um,
you know you can tell that. And and she and and again to her point, using all the skill sets from the different things that she's done in her life, it was necessary to pour that into her kids. And I feel like that for us as parents, um as people who have projects and other things we're working on. We always have to remember that the experiences of our lives lives can be used to enhance whatever we're working on. So you know, whatever you've done, you can use it.
Oh well, you know, I need to go back to school and get three degrees. For some people that might work, but for some people you might not actually have to do that. You really just need to move forward with what is in your hand, you know, and use the talent that you have. So that's me preaching to myself that I don't need to, you know, always sort of procrastinate and delay whatever is next because I think I'm not skilled enough or I don't have all of these things.
You can jump in and use the skills you have to build on it and really create greatness. And I think that's what Tina those system and there you have it. It's great. Miss Tina loans. Yes, Tina knows loss and honey because she gonna loss about that loss and that. So that brings us to the end of our women's
history series. We hope that you enjoyed it. We had so many dope women that I've definitely learned from that I've admired for years powerful you know, leading women in this world, in this industry, just in life period, you know. So I hope that you really got something from it. Will probably learn something because I learned a lot of things that I didn't know about these powerful women, you know,
during these episodes, during these interviews. So I hope that you got something from it, and go back look at the episodes. If you missed it, you don't want to miss it. You definitely need to tune into these episodes. They are very powerful and life changing. So what we're gonna do for our next series is we're gonna talk
about financial literacy and wealth building. We're gonna have some of the key you know, components and individuals who I think are leading the conversations in things like cryptocurrency and n f t s and all of the different um um places that we can go to find um cryptocurrency and in the metaverse, all these things. We're gonna talk about all these things because I don't know a lot about it, but I want to know about it because
I want to make money like everybody else. So we're gonna have people that I think we think are leading the conversations in those areas, so we want to make sure that you tune into that, do not miss it. Once again, we want to say we appreciate y'all. We love y'all for tuning in and making us the number one show. Street Politicians the number one show. Right, we did the number one show. I'm not even know, but we're moving on up. Number one. Come on, you gotta
speak it, Come on now. If you wanted to be it, you gotta speak. You gotta already have it, the number one Showman's Three Politicians. If you have an apartment in the sky, Look, I can't remember you move knowing up? Look you if you don't remember the Jeffersons, then well I not a little bit of the words of the song. That's why I all the You got to know the words. So we're moving on up. And if you have any ideas, if you have topics you want to hear, please contact us.
And Street Politicians part on Instagram. D m us. Let us know you love us, let us know you hate us, let us know your favorite shows. Let us know everything that shows you hate the most, what you want us to get rid of, what you want us to add, Let us know we take all in anything, we take it in. We might not care what you say, or we might agree, but we want you to give us your feedback anyway. Block and delete. I didn't know how to block and delete, but I have since learned and
I'm using it. The blocking delete is a thing. But you know, I live a beautiful life, So shout out to my boy Embroidery King's beautiful life gear. This hass fire. But when you live a beautiful life, you don't care about the negativity. And with that said, I'm not gonna always be right most of the time. I will be. Tamika Marri is not gonna always be wrong most of the time. She will be, but we will both always and I mean always be authentic. M That's how we own it.